The Denver
Post
DENVER
– A jury found Laura Trujillo, 20, guilty of lesser charges than prosecutors had
hoped for in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Aliza Reighard, who died Feb.
2.
“It says we know Laura didn't
kill or know that Aliza was being killed that evening but that maybe she could
have done a few more things along the way,” defense attorney Scott Reisch said.
Trujillo was charged with felony child abuse resulting in death. Prosecutors
argued she knew of and also contributed to some of the abuse inflicted on her
daughter. Trujillo could have faced up to 48 years in prison. But the jury found
her guilty of a misdemeanor charge of child abuse resulting in injury.
Trujillo now faces a sentence ranging from probation to two years in a county
jail.
Trujillo’s boyfriend, Randy Ramirez, already pleaded guilty to one count of
child abuse leading to death. A date for his sentencing hasn’t been set yet.
The defense argued that
Trujillo,
who has been in a wheel chair since she was shot last year, was taking
medication and asleep when Aliza Reighard was beaten to death.
The child’s death prompted a special review by the state Department of Human
Services. A grand jury investigation found that the child was being abused for
some time.
A coroner said the girl died of blunt force trauma to the head that resulted in
a skull fracture and injury to her brain. The report said she also had four
fractured ribs in various stages of healing, indicating the injuries happened at
several different times.
Police were called to the child’s home on several cases in January. In one case,
a maintenance worker reported that she had a black eye and was sleeping in a
closet.
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